Philippines’ Duterte wants US troops out in two years

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced that he wants US troops out of his country in the next two years and is willing to scrap defence pacts with longtime ally Washington if necessary.

‘I want, maybe in the next two years, my country free of the presence of foreign military troops,’ Duterte told an economic forum in Tokyo on Wednesday, in a clear reference to US forces, ahead of a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Duterte’s remarks on Wednesday during a high-profile visit to Japan follow a series of anti-American tirades by the firebrand leader.

‘I want them out and if I have to revise or abrogate agreements, executive agreements, I will,’ he added.

On Tuesday, before leaving Manila and after arriving in Tokyo, Duterte also said that he wants to cut off a 2014 defence pact with the US, while calling Americans ‘foolish’ and ‘a bully’.

The Philippines has a decades-old defence treaty with the United States, and a separate 2014 executive agreement, allowing US troops to use its bases by visiting American forces and expanding annual military exercises.

The US currently maintains a small presence of special forces on the southern island of Mindanao to aid counterterrorism operations.

But Duterte has already said he wants US troops out of Mindanao, because their presence stokes tensions on the island where armed groups have waged a decades-long separatist movement.

The 71-year-old has also slammed Washington for questioning his violent crime crackdown, which has claimed thousands of lives and attracted widespread international criticism.

Source: Al-Jazeera